The Importance of Indoor Cat Enrichment

Introduction

In general, the recommendation to keep cats indoor comes from the perspective of safety and extending the average cat’s lifespan. Indoor cats will not get hit by cars. They are much less likely to have run-ins with wildlife that could cause traumatic bites and infections, as well as increase risk of disease transmission such as rabies. There is less risk of exposure to toxin ingestion. Indoor cats have a much lower risk of parasites such as heartworm, fleas, and gastrointestinal worms. In terms of practicality, a lot of cats live in apartments, and it is not feasible that they could be let out and back in without much coordination and planning from the owner. Keeping cats indoors also decreases the risk of cats getting lost or taken in by another person who assumes the cat is homeless.

Keeping cats indoors may protect them for all of these reasons, but at what cost? Cats naturally are meant to be outdoors spending their days hunting prey for food and marking their territory. They can live in groups or alone. They move from ground perches to elevated perches for both safety and observation of their environment. When these innate behaviors are not able to be expressed, this can cause stress for a cat. Often, this leads to what humans consider as inappropriate behaviors. We can see inappropriate elimination, vocalization, spraying and scratching of surfaces, destructive chewing, overgrooming, and even aggressive behavior. We also see a lot of sedentary, overweight cats, which can lead to health problems. So, are we extending a cat’s life at the expense of their quality of life? How can we improve an indoor cat’s overall quality of life so that they can have both a long life and an enriched life?

Incorporating Enrichment Into Your Cat’s Life

As owners, we must do our best to ensure environmental enrichment for our indoor cats. Enrichment aims to include some of a cat’s natural behaviors, as well as keep the cat active and engaged while stimulating all of the senses. Some enrichment can include the human caretaker, but some should also be based on independent play. Enrichment should vary over time and not just be the same game or toy day to day. The goal of enrichment is to allow the cat its normal hunting and exploratory behavior.

A lot of enrichment can be focused on eating/prey behavior. Things to consider:

• Feeding your cat from a food ball or cube. The cat will have to move and roll the ball around for food to fall out, and it can then pounce and eat the kibble as it falls out.
• Divide the cat’s daily portion into small containers with holes cut in them and hide these containers around the living area for the cat to hunt and find. The cat will have to move and play with the container in order to get to the food.
• Use Kong toys for feeding, which will keep the cat engaged and moving to be able to get all of the food out.
• Obtain a box with various compartments. You can hide small toys in each box, such as a fake mouse, so the cat can pounce and hunt.
• String toys and feathers attached to a stick can be used to help mimic prey behavior, as the cat will often crouch and pounce to bat at the toy.
• Provide access to both chew-type toys as well as play-type toys.
• Provide cat towers and perches. The towers allow cats to climb and hide in different spots. The perches can be associated with windows so that cats can see outside, and outdoor activities can keep their attention.
• Provide plenty of scratching surfaces that are large and sturdy, with both vertical and horizontal orientations.
• Use a cardboard box to make an area with tunnels and different surfaces that the cat can explore.
• Consider bringing your cat outdoors either on a harness or in a stroller, or build them a catio. This allows cats to see, hear, and smell their environment while keeping them in a safe, controlled manner.

Do What You Can

It is understood that not every owner has the time or space to incorporate all of these suggestions into their daily routines.  But as cat owners, we should strive to meet not only the basic needs of caregiving (food, water, shelter, healthcare), but also the social and environmental needs that are innate to their being. By incorporating even one or two of these enrichment recommendations, we will vastly improve the day-to-day quality of life of our cats. This will reduce the stressors that can lead to medical conditions in our pet cats, and it will improve the human-animal bond as well.